This isn't the first time ref Henry 8th's name has come up on EU matters, is it? But what, besides his lice-infested undergarments, does it all mean? If I may opine, it means squat, except for all the itching and scratching. Let's hope Mrs May isn't similarly afflicted.

The question of the day - is calling on Henry VIII's tag akin to evoking Hitler's in discourse (Godwin's law)? We could call it "Corbyn's law," or some such.

LONDON—Legislation to allow Prime Minister Theresa May to begin Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union passed its first parliamentary hurdle with overwhelming support on Wednesday.

The decision was widely expected after the main opposition Labour Party said it wouldn’t block government plans to trigger Article 50, the mechanism for starting exit negotiation talks. Mrs. May has said Article 50 will be invoked by the end of March.

It comes after a two-day debate in which some lawmakers criticized the government’s approach to Brexit, while acknowledging they wouldn’t go against the result of the June referendum in which voters chose to leave.

“This country has voted to leave the European Union and it is the duty of the government and of this house to make sure that we do precisely that,” David Jones, a minister in the Department for Exiting the EU, said in the closing statement of the debate.

The government was forced to draw up the new legislation—called the EU notification of withdrawal bill—after the Supreme Court ruled Mrs. May couldn't start the Brexit process without parliamentary approval.

Lawmakers voted 498 to 114 for the bill to proceed to the next stage. It is set for three more days of consideration by the elected lower chamber next week and, if passed, will then be debated by the upper house. It requires the approval of both houses to become law.

LONDON—Legislation to allow Prime Minister Theresa May to begin Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union passed its first parliamentary hurdle with overwhelming support on Wednesday.

The decision was widely expected after the main opposition Labour Party said it wouldn’t block government plans to trigger Article 50, the mechanism for starting exit negotiation talks. Mrs. May has said Article 50 will be invoked by the end of March.

It comes after a two-day debate in which some lawmakers criticized the government’s approach to Brexit, while acknowledging they wouldn’t go against the result of the June referendum in which voters chose to leave.

“This country has voted to leave the European Union and it is the duty of the government and of this house to make sure that we do precisely that,” David Jones, a minister in the Department for Exiting the EU, said in the closing statement of the debate.

The government was forced to draw up the new legislation—called the EU notification of withdrawal bill—after the Supreme Court ruled Mrs. May couldn't start the Brexit process without parliamentary approval.

Lawmakers voted 498 to 114 for the bill to proceed to the next stage. It is set for three more days of consideration by the elected lower chamber next week and, if passed, will then be debated by the upper house. It requires the approval of both houses to become law.

There's actually nothing surprising about a government backed bill passing in a parliamentary democracy.

I am very interested to see what form the new trade treaty with Europe will take but we're a long way off from that.

And it turns out that DUP are kingmakers this time around, although through an informal "confidence and supply" agreement rather than through a formal coalition. Good move on their part, as they get to veto anything they don't like, yet aren't responsible if things go awry.

Speaking of Northern Ireland, I was also fascinated to see Sinn Féin do so well. Maybe more NI people than we think would rather reunify with Ireland than face Brexit uncertainty?

Writer, technologist, educator, gadfly.
President of New World University: http://newworld.ac

And it turns out that DUP are kingmakers this time around, although through an informal "confidence and supply" agreement rather than through a formal coalition. Good move on their part, as they get to veto anything they don't like, yet aren't responsible if things go awry.

Speaking of Northern Ireland, I was also fascinated to see Sinn Féin do so well. Maybe more NI people than we think would rather reunify with Ireland than face Brexit uncertainty?

The Catholic minority (around 40% of total) would almost to a man or woman be in favour of unification with the Republic of Ireland. The rub lies in the fact the NI protestants would, likewise, still be OPPOSED to it with a passion that informs them that wherever Britain goes we must go with it in our own best interests - indeed for their own survival as a community.

Milo proclaimed in his above post that from his experience NI protestants tend to be more English than the English themselves. Alas, Milo seems to have fallen into the trap of confusing Englishness with Britishness. The two concepts might overlap but are still not identical. NI protestants identify as BRITISH, not English.

The point that a lot of non-Northern Irish fail to comprehend is that the Northern Irish protestants (NIP's?) have spent the past 4 centuries, their entire history, in ferocious opposition to being absorbed into the overwhelmingly Gaelic Catholic population of the island of Ireland. Circumstances from time to time might change but their struggle seems eternal.

"British" is really an umbrella (or omnibus) term that covers up to half a dozen identifiable nationalities who inhabit the British Isles. Of course the NIP's are passionately pro-British because identifying with the UK and therefore being in a position to manipulate British politics in ways favourable to themselves is literally their meal ticket.